Supernova
by Actual-Duck
Summary: Ash really though his chance at being a Trainer at 16 years old is impossible, what with him not getting his License before his mother took him away to Sinnoh. But a strange woman bold offers him her help, as well as a Starter he's never seen before. This can only end two ways; the adventure of a lifetime. Or a disaster.
1. 01 - first steps

**Hello, hi! So, I've been inspired by a TON of Pokemon fanfics out there, NAMELY Mateusz's The Mortal Earth, TheStraightElf's Traveller and lastly darkfire1220's Challenger! As I'm a stressed out art student, writing is (ironically) my stress relief SO I made this! I won't** **claim to be a good writer, but I worked hard on this - I'm alarmed that I made this monster of a chapter in a total of 45 hours? wtf is wrong with me - so I hope you give me and my story a chance!**

 **Heads up for all of you, so if you find some things you don't like, you can immediately leave and spare yourself the drama!**

 **It will get particularly violent later on, and not just physically; I've been told I like psychological horror a little too much. I LIKE OCS A LOT (speaking of, notes for OCS at the end of the chapter!). You might not like my version of Ash early on, but... character development... UNPOPULAR CHOICES, and questionable ones! Haha. So far, those are the ones I can confirm that will be present in the story, but if there are additions, I guess I'll just add them.**

 **Shout out to Mateusz for encouragement and guidance!**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Ash has been up for a while – an hour before his alarm was supposed to ring, to be specific – but he's not feeling the excitement. Not feeling the burning eagerness he was feeling ever since he became fifteen a year ago. How could he? When, just a couple months before Professor Oak would open the annual Trainer Licensure exams, his mother, Delia, had made a snap decision to move all the way to _Sinnoh_.

A few thousand miles north, a little closer to the polar cap and thus colder than anything Ash experienced in perfect, tropical Kanto. Unfamiliar, unknown Sinnoh. Scary Sinnoh. _Not-Kanto_ Sinnoh.

If this was a mere trip, Ash wouldn't be so upset. But this isn't a mere trip, this is a _permanent relocation_. A permanent relocation to a place so far from _home_ , so far away from the roots of their lives. Honestly, Ash doesn't even understand _why_ his mother did that. Move them all the way northwards, to Sinnoh. He didn't understand. He didn't understand.

A stronger than normal wave lapped as his bare ankles, and Ash rises from his thoughts, blinking several times in quick succession as the sea in front of him began to twinkle and glimmer, the first rays of sunlight lighting the blue-green surface as the sun slowly, slowly climbed up the sky.

With the sunrise, Sunyshore's beach came to life; Ash could hear the first sounds of life from the city, the citizens waking, the city itself waking. Pokémon began to move about to, beginning their own days, their own lives. Ash walks a little further out from the beach, hiking his capris higher up his calves as we wades further out, breathing deeply as the still chilly waters tickled the backs of his knees. A couple of brave Remoraids swim close, inspecting his feet, before they dart away. Ash looks at them fondly, a smile softening his lips.

Then he remembers and the pleasant expression is wiped from his face.

He sighs.

He knows he shouldn't be so gloomy, so upset – after all, change is the only constant in this world – but. _But_.

He can't help it. He was close. _So close_ to taking his first step. He was _so close_ , but his chance is taken from him.

Ash absently bends down, dips his hand into the water and patting around for a smooth pebble. He finds one, and lifts it out of the water. He shakes off the water clinging stubbornly, inspecting it. It's smooth, it's flat, "And so easily," Ash lets his wrist flick, the pebble skipping across the surface six times before sinking into the deeper waters. An Octillery surfaced and blubbered angrily at him, and Ash winced. "… throw-able. Ugh, why am I moping?"

Huffing to himself, Ash makes his way back to shore, not bothering to put on his shoes and just picking it up as he heads back to the main part of the city. Like every region in the Eastern continent, the people are extremely polite and Sunyshore's residents are the same. Despite being the new resident, they greet Ash warmly, especially the elders, and Ash scrambles to return the politeness. It's still unsettling – Ash was never good with new people – but good thing he didn't have to suffer much, as he finally reached his mother's house.

His mom's Butterfree chatters at him from its perch, tending to the plants, and Ash gives it a pat on the head before heading inside, drying his feet on the rug and setting his aside his outside shoes.

"Mom?!" He calls out, stepping into his inside slippers and standing in the living room, perking his ear to hear better.

"Upstairs, Ash!" Ash easily follows his mother's voice, taking the stairs two at a time and turning down the hallway, into the piano room where his mother is, seated in front of the grand piano with music sheets in front of her and a pen tucked behind her ear.

Delia Ketchum turns at Ash's approach, smiling at him. She scoots and pats the empty space, and Ash slides in stiffly. Ash blinks at the ivory and ebony keys, then sneaks a glance at the music sheet. It's unfinished, lacking a title, even. "New song?"

"Mmhmm," His mother hums, playing the opening bars and Ash, despite it all, falls calm. "They've commissioned me for musical pieces. Hearthrome Theatre, I mean."

Ash blinks slowly, hesitantly putting a hand on top of the keys. His playing is terrible at best, but his mother merely smiles and continues to play on her side. "Isn't that the… the Contest Central of Sinnoh?"

Good job Ash, idle talk is good, nice.

"Yes it is- oh wait, Ashy play that sequence you just did please," Ash did so, so used to his mother's musical antics. His mother plays it, over and over, applying changes here and there until she's satisfied. Only then did she continue. "Anyway, yes, you're right on that front. The coordinator for this year's competition commissioned me for a few performance pieces, like I've said."

Ash swallows, takes his hands away from the piano. If his mother noticed, she didn't do anything. "That's great,"

"It is," Delia hums happily, and Ash knows that music and performance is his mother's passion, just as his is Pokémon batting. "I'm so happy."

Ash knows. Ash _knows_ but yet… "I'm gonna go eat downstairs," Ash informed his mother, easily slipping out of the seat. "I'm starving."

"I cooked your favourite," Delia informs him, and that mollifies Ash a little bit. "What are you doing afterwards?"

"As usual," He says, already leaving the piano room. He drops his voice to a whisper. "Sulk somewhere."

He heads down, the stairs, fighting to keep his steps light and unhurried.

(He underestimates the capabilities of a mother, and he misses the way Delia's hand freeze over the piano keys, the anguish in her eyes. Misses the way Delia mouths 'what's wrong?' to the empty air that will never answer her.)

True to his word, Ash is starving and had devoured his food in short order, calling up a farewell to his mother as he leaves the house for the second time that day, this time bringing with him a small bag and a book. He opts for a sturdier pair of shoes instead of his usual slippers, slipping out the house and into the streets of Sunyshore soon enough.

He's lived at Sunyshore for a month now, and Ash thinks he has a good grasp on the city's eccentricities at this point.

Like the way the youths of Sunyshore – only a few years younger than Ash – are heading towards the local Gym means that someone is _challenging_ _Volkner_.

Unable to help himself, Ash turns toward the road leading to the Sunyshore Gym, and true enough, the Gym is open, with people gathered at the spectator's entrance, eagerly waiting for the official opening once the preparations inside are done.

Ash, curiosity and intrigue piqued to near unbearable levels, approaches, joining the line. With nervousness clogging his throat – he quashes it valiantly, though, curiosity getting the better of him – he taps on the shoulder of teen in front of him. The younger boy turns to Ash, blinking up at him innocently. Ash clears his throat awkwardly, stuffing his sweaty palms into the pockets of his capris as he nods towards the Gym. "What's up with the Gym?" He asks, and blinks in surprise when the boy seems to practically _vibrate_ in eagerness.

"She's dropping by for their yearly battles!" The boy replies cheerfully, and Ash is confused.

"Who is 'she'?" He asks, puzzled and intrigued. This is the first time he heard about it, something about a 'her' and a 'yearly battle' and with _Volkner_ , of all people.

Ash isn't an idiot (well, most of the time) so he knows just who Volkner is. Volkner, Sunyshore's Shining Star, arguably the strongest Gym Leader in Sinnoh, more within the ranks of the Elite Four, maybe even the in the Champion's realm. Volkner, who is a genius with machinery _and_ Pokémon. Volkner, who is Sunyshore's greatest pride.

If Ash didn't know _who_ Volkner is, considering Volkner's massive house is just a block away, above all else, Ash won't hesitate to throw himself off the top of the lighthouse.

So for someone to challenge _Volkner_ , when the competitive season hasn't even begun yet…

Ash is going to bet that this person, whoever she is, is either crazy or overly confident in her skills.

Ash wants to see the fight.

Before the boy in front of Ash can answer, the doors are opened and the excited crowd didn't even hesitate to stream into the building, Ash too surprised to realize that he's being jostled, tossed around by the stampede and before he can even refocus, orient himself, he finds himself blinking up at artificial lights, at the Gym's massive interior, some walls made of special glass and he can see _gears_ and machines moving within the wall, making it seems like the Sunyshore Gym is a mechanical beast, and Ash is standing in its belly.

The usher beckons the stragglers up the viewing area, and Ash hastily complies, all the while looking around and gaping at his surroundings.

He's never been inside a Pokémon Gym – access is not given lightly – not even in Kanto, and despite his misfortune Ash is still glad he gets to see the inside of a Gym on his 16th year.

He brutally quashes the bitterness flooding his chest when that insidious voice at the back of his head whispers he's only there as a _spectator_ , as a mere _audience_ , and focuses his eyes on the battle zone, zeroing on the Trainer boxes.

On the blue side is Volkner, yellow mane spikier and messier than usual, and he's not wearing his signature blue and yellow get up, instead just clad in a grease-stained shirt and ripped jeans with even more grease. He's scowling fiercely, and Ash figured that the man was interrupted from his tinkering.

(It was a city-wide knowledge that Volkner absolutely _loathes_ it when he's torn away from his machines or Pokémon unless it's absolutely dire. The last time, Volkner had caused the drained the city's electric supply in a childish bout of pettiness. But he did make a bomb laser light show, so the city didn't really mind. They're used to Volkner's own brand of quirks.

There was a reason the houses and the buildings are old fashioned, even the Pokémon Centre and the Pokémart. There's also a reason why all the skyway roads are made with sturdy solar panels.

And that reason is Volkner's tendency to reroute _all_ the electricity in the city to his 'amusements'.)

Ash shifts his gaze to the challenger, and he's surprised when he sees a girl, grinning unrepentantly, pastel pink and black hair, pulled back in a tight braid so that two halves of her hair melded together in the middle. There's… something odd about her eyes, Ash can tell, but from this distance, he can't tell what that is. The challenger is casually tossing a Pokéball of odd make (dark green, with black lines running around its shape) and she's the complete opposite of Volkner, at this moment.

She pleased, where Volkner is anything but. She's excited, where Volkner looks like he wants to be anywhere but here.

Ash claps his hands over his ears when the girl turns to the on-lookers and blows them an obnoxious kiss and the crowd _roars_ at that, and Ash is so confused. The girl laughs, waving back eagerly with a too wide grin on her face before turning to Volkner, blowing _him_ a kiss too.

Volkner's expression sours, and all Ash can think is 'same dude'. "Can you stop with the ruckus?" He grumbles, voice amplified by the speakers in the Trainer boxes. The crowd laughs at that, like this is commonplace and wow.

Ash is so _confused_.

The girl laughs, voice surprisingly deep. "Aw, c'mon, I'm rarely ever here, let me have my fun Sparks!"

'Sparks'? Did she just call Volkner _Sparks_? Just who is this madwoman?

Volkner pins her an irritated look, releasing a pair of Medicham (Ash recognized them as part of the youngest Sinnoh Gym Leader's team), who immediately moves to the side and wordlessly create a psychic barrier. "I thought you were here for me?" He growls.

The girl forms a heart with her fingers, aiming them Volkner's way with a ridiculous pose. "Don't worry baby, you're my one and only!"

Volkner looks like his soul has left his body, and Ash can relate, feeling embarrassed even if the obnoxious and annoying actions aren't aimed his way. The crowd doesn't seem to think the same way though, cooing and laughing at the duo.

Ash shakes his head, getting to his feet. "If this silliness doesn't cease, excuse me while I go jump off the lighthouse-"

"Hey."

The sudden silence is louder than the previous ruckus the crowd was making, and Ash freezes where he's standing, throat closing when he realizes _everyone's_ eyes are on _him._ He can't move, can't sit down to meld with the audience, so he's in plain view, everyone can see him-

Ash realizes why there's something wrong with the girl's eyes.

They're unnaturally bright. And they're trained on _him_ , like a predator spotting prey.

The girl leans against her Trainer box, crossing her arms as she rests her weight on them, and not once does she takes her eyes off of him. Ash feels his skin crawl, his mind screaming at him to _back up back up back up get away get away_ -

"You're a new face," She hums, cocking her head and she looks over at Volkner, whose face had smoothed out, looking at Ash as well. When Ash looked over at the older man, he thought the Gym Leader smiled apologetically at him, but when he blinked the blonde's face was clear. "A new one, Volkner?"

Volkner nods, turning to the girl, who is watching Ash too closely for comfort. "Yes, moved in just last month." Ash is reminded that _technically_ , Volkner is also the leader of Sunyshore, aside from being its best Trainer. Volkner, _technically_ can be acknowledged as Sunyshore's mayor.

And he knows what happens in his city.

The girl turns her smile – knife-like – on Ash. "Stay a while then, kid." She winks, and Ash can't shake off the unsettling feeling despite the cheerful and inviting words. He sits down. "We'll show you something amazing."

And the massive announcement board lights up, displaying the battle's details. The extra barriers around the audience area goes up, casting a faint rainbow sheen when the light hits it momentarily, and the lights of the gym changed into spotlights, all four of them focused on the battle zone, casting the area outside of it - and the girl and Volkner – in darkness.

The battle is apparently a one-on-one, and Ash catches sight of the challenger's name. 'Shade'. Ash thinks her name is fitting; she's _shady_ as nothing else he'd ever come across.

"Trainers, release your Pokémon." A mechanical voice sounds out, and with red flashes, Volkner and the challenger release their combatants.

Volkner had released a massive Luxray, its black mane spiked up as electricity danced over its form. It releases a deep growl, loud over the din of the cheering crowd. Its tail lashed back and forth, the yellow spikes at the tip sparking threateningly as the Luxray regarded its opponent.

Shade the challenger had released a larger than normal Mismagius, and the only reason Ash knows of what Pokémon that is, is because in his boredom he had read through the online Pokédex, and Sinnoh's Fantina has a Mismagius as well, the cornerstone of her own Ghostly team. Shade's Mismagius is threatening to look at; closer to four foot, maybe even more, and it has _five_ gems on its chest, not three.

That worst part is that it's grinning nastily at the Luxray and Volkner. The Mismagius' eyes flash pink, and its grin grows wider, its giggle sending chills up Ash's spine at the haunting sound.

"Of course, you'd bring out one of your nastiest," Volkner sighs, and the Luxray releases a snarl, muscles bunching and getting low on its haunches, readying to pounce for an attack or leap to dodge. "Whatever, let's go."

"Yes, let's!" Shade cackles out, and her Mismagius' eyes flashed pink once more. "Better be quick now Volkner!"

And with her cackling declaration, the Mismagius rises up in the air, wisps of energy roiling off of the Pokémon as it rises in the air, imitating its Trainer's ominous cackle.

Volkner's eyes flashed with panic. "Oh, wait, wait, Tes-!"

The Mismagius opens its mouth and a haunting melody pours from it, interrupting Volkner's frenzied shout and shocking the audience into silence at the sheer, _unexplainable_ terror and despair that filled them, robbing the warmth from their chest, knocking the breath from their lungs and Ash feels the inexplicable urge to _cry_.

He almost curls up then and there until his mind kick started back into function and he realized what the Mismagius just _did_.

 _Perish Song._

Ash tries not think of the words spilling from Volkner's mouth – it wasn't exactly kid-safe after all – and Shade cackles in glee, her Pokémon echoing her sentiment in the smug way it floats down, haughty despite the timer it put on itself. It's so _unbothered_ , despite the effects of the Perish Song, and a Pokémon couldn't, _wouldn't_ , behave like that unless it knows it will be fine.

Unless it knows its Trainer will pull through.

Perish Song is one of those not-exactly-explainable powers Pokémon have access to, the simplest way to describe its effects is that the user, and its target, will faint after a while.

No questions asked.

The only way to lift is effects is to put the affected Pokémon in suspended animation – pulled back into a Pokéball or something similar – but aside from that, there's nothing to be done. Not even knocking out the user would lift the effect.

In regards to this battle, as it's a one on one, with no pull-out rules in place… Shade, essentially, put the battle on a timer.

And ensuring there will be no winner.

" _Ooh_ , I hate you _so much_ right now!" Volkner hisses, though there's an undertone of excitement in his voice and Ash is now afraid.

 _What are these people_.

"Nah," Shade shoots back cheekily, and her eyes are gleaming pink. "You love me babe."

Really? These two? Ash didn't see that coming-

Wait.

Her eyes are pink. The same pink as her Mismagius' eyes. Glowing eyes are one of the most common manifestations of a Psychic-link. Shade has a _Psychic-link_ _with a Ghost-type_ and wow this is going to be complicated.

"Tes, Thunder Hall, get it up!" Volkner orders, and the Luxray doesn't hesitate, letting out a primal roar as its form let loose a bolt of _lightning_ , a massive wave of electricity washing over the field and slamming against the Psychic barriers so hard _both_ Medichams _flinched_. "Pursuit! Account for complex evasion!"

Shade doesn't need to verbally relay her orders, what with her Psychic-Link with her Pokémon, and the Mismagius lets out another chilling cackle, raising up Protect barriers around itself as it fearlessly floats towards its opponent, uncaring of the orbs of lightning that had formed at the four corners of the battle zone, shooting bolts of thunder wherever and whenever. One slammed against the Mismagius' shield, and Ash is in _awe_ when it didn't even break _,_ despite the bolt going off like a thunderclap when it impacted the Mismagius' shields.

Just how _strong_ is this Shade person and her Pokémon…?

The Luxray snarls viciously, Dark energy dripping from its form as it rushed at the Mismagius, and it coils up, legs bunching beneath it, and it leaps powerfully, clearing three metres easily as it pounced on the Mismagius-

Only for the Mismagius to slip down into the floor, disappearing with a spine-tingling giggle.

The Luxray lands, yowling furiously, but it didn't panic, instead hunching low with its nose to the floor, attempting to scent it. It didn't work, Ash could tell, so it shakes its head, eyes flashing a brighter gold and it scanned the area.

Ash then remembers, from his studies of the Sinnoh Pokémon, that a Luxray's eyes sees _all_.

The grin that curls the Luxray's lips is entirely _Volkner_ 's, and it pounces once more, seemingly random. It lands, and raises a massive paw, wreathed in Dark energy and it slams it down on the floor, hard enough that it _caves under_ and the Mismagius shoots out from the place with a pained shrieking, obviously hit by the attack. Seeing its chance, the Luxray leaps, teeth clamping around the Mismagius' neck. It lets loose another vicious wave of electricity and the Mismagius lets out another pained scream, shaking and shuddering as the Luxray thrashes it around.

It's violent, it's _vicious_ , and-

Ash sees Shade grin in that cheeky way of hers, and he immediately snaps his eyes to the Mismagius, just in time to see it twist in the Luxray's grip and _screech_ into its ear, making it flinch horribly and release the Mismagius. The Mismagius didn't hesitate, smugness absent from its visage and its glare could probably melt a Steelix. It glows an unholy violet colour, and before the Luxray could recover, it phases through its body, making the Luxray _roar_ in pain.

The Mismagius wasn't done, no, because it opens its mouth and practically _bathes_ the Luxray it intense violet flames. The Thunder Hall dissipates as the Luxray loses control over it, and at this the Mismagius continues it onslaught with increased vigour.

Ash gasps along with the crowded, wholly gripped by the intense battle, entranced by the spectacle they are _indeed_ showing him. He's holding his breath, heart thudding his chest, and it's _this_. This is what he wants.

To orchestrate his own battlers. To be down here, being the challenger. Be a Trainer on his quest to become a _Master_.

Suddenly, he wants to go down there, join in. He grabs the edge of his seat, biting his tongue to hold himself back.

"Eerie Impulse!" Volkner calls out, and despite the pain it no doubt must be under, the Luxray releases a staccato pattern of Electric waves. The waves are weak, but it still forces the Mismagius to back away, shaking its head as if it's dizzy. The Luxray lets out a loud, triumphant howl, body flashing as it conjures a _massive_ Thunder overhead, aimed point blank at the Mismagius. "Blow it to Distortion!"

The Thunder is released, and Ash hisses in pain when the resulting thunderclap and light assaulted both his eyes and ear, rendering him nauseous and dizzy, trying to blink away the spots dancing in his vision, the ringing in his ears making him twitch and squirm uncomfortably.

He hears a weird hiccupping sound, and when his senses finally right themselves, he realizes it wasn't hiccupping he was hearing.

It was the Shade girl laughing raucously.

She has her head thrown back, laughing a belly laugh that sounded… odd, but she doesn't seem to care that she's laughing hysterically. She's now bent over double, still laughing her guts out, and her Mismagius…

Her Mismagius seemed fine. Scorched black, and its 'cloak' shredded on some parts, but upright and easily floating on a non-existent breeze.

Its smug disposition is back, maybe even _smugger_ than ever, and it _chortles_ , tipping its pointy hat towards Shade who is now on her knees slamming her hands on the flooring over and over as she wheezes more than she laughs.

Ash frowns, extremely confused. His sentiment is shared by all of the on-lookers, confused whispering and questioning exclamations filling the silent air.

"Hah!" Shade gasps out, cackling shortly before hauling herself up to stand (more like drape herself) against the railing, shoulders shaking with the force of her unexplainable mirth. "Oh, oh I didn't think it would work so well!"

Even Volkner is frowning now, sharp blue eyes scanning the field until he hisses, eyes narrowing. "You _sly_ \- You did those on _purpose_!" Volkner whistles, and his Luxray lopes back to its Trainer, a questioning look on its visage. Volkner gestures towards the Luxray's chest-

"Oh." Ash blinks, seeing the ornate, 8-shaped sigil glowing innocently against the Luxray's chest. It yowls in distress, pawing at it desperately, and Volkner coos softly at it, easing it, and the Gym Leader looks at Shade with narrowed eyes. "Destiny Bond." Ash murmurs, wondering _when_ the hell the Mismagius placed that thing on the Luxray.

Now, Destiny Bond is another not-exactly-explainable power; it basically, _literally_ ties itself to a Pokémon, so if the user faints…

The target faints, unless put in suspended animation. It's extremely similar to Perish Song, but none of the waiting.

"Spooks, darling," Shade speaks aloud, the Psychic-link gone now, but in its place is a really, _really_ sinister grin. " _Memento_."

The Mismagius doesn't even hesitate, doesn't even _blink_ when it makes a knife-like apparition before it, the weapon made from Dark-energy hovering over the Ghost's chest. A breath hitches in Ash's throat, and a lot of the audience are so gripped by the spectacle that they screamed when the Mismagius plunges the 'knife' in its chest. The Mismagius howls, and despite the pain Ash can definitely hear it.

The triumph. The glee.

The Mismagius collapses in a heap, its form going hazy-

The Luxray lets out a weak yowl, swaying on its feet, before it topples over, knocked out cold.

The Gym is so still, so silent and tension-filled that Ash is taken by the atmosphere, hardly breathing as his eyes flickered back and forth, back and forth between the smug Shade and the blank-faced Volkner. He feels like he can _literally_ cut the tension with one of his mother's knives-

"Battle, draw!" Ash jerks in surprise, the mechanical voice filling the Gym and thus breaking the tension with its unbothered tone. "Trainers please leave the field."

The lights slowly return, casting the place in regular light once more, and Ash squints in the sudden change of light, and he stares in stupefied wonder at the destruction that admittedly short fight caused.

The ground is _scorched_ , and there was a small yet deep crater, the spot where the Luxray had flushed out the Mismagius, and there still remnants of that weird fire blast thing the Mismagius did-

Volkner snorts, shaking his head and recalling his unconscious Pokémon, Shade doing the same. "I hate you." He informs the girl simply, remorselessly.

The girl simply shrugs. "I know, I make it easy." She replies blithely.

They simply looked at each other for a moment, before they both burst into laughter. And just like that, the crowd launches into a borderline violent applause, and Ash doesn't even pretend to be not impressed. He stands and claps as hard as he can, releasing a breath he was unconsciously holding in, adrenaline pumping faintly in his veins.

 _Wow_ , was he _that_ into the battle?

Volkner and Shade bow towards the audience, and they both leave the Trainer boxes, ducking of to one of the side exits together and Ash follows the chattering crowd as they leave, finding himself grinning. He doesn't even care much right now; his plan was to sulk somewhere, but he got top-class entertainment, _live_ , instead.

Today wasn't as bad as the other days.

Upon exiting the building, apparently the excitement isn't over as the girl, _Shade_ is waiting for the crowd, Volkner off to the side a bit (wait, when did he change into cleaner clothes?), and the Shade girl lets out a happy cry upon seeing the crowd, waving her arms enthusiastically.

Ash is alarmed when the people _flocked_ to this Shade girl, practically drowning her – wow she's actually _short_ , Ash couldn't see her over the heads of the people – and literally sweeping her away, all the while talking and cheering and jabbering and all around making a racket as they made off with the Shade girl. Ash watches them go, several parts disbelieving, several parts amused, and a whole lot confused. Really, just _who_ is this Shade person?

In the month that Ash lived in Sunyshore, he'd never seen or even _heard_ of her. And while her paleness is somewhat close to the paleness common in Sinnoh-born people, it's _too_ pale, making her black-pink hair all the more vibrant in its contrast.

And her battle…

"Ash," Ash startles so bad he almost jumps a foot into the air, and he whirls, seeing-

"S-sir!" Ash squeaks out, because _what the heck what the heck what the heck it's Volkner what is this what is this aaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHH_ \- Ash coughs, straightening and nodding respectfully at (a terribly amused) Volkner. "Sir."

Volkner grimaced, but he was also trying not to laugh – Ash sort of wants to kick himself in the _face_ – and he holds a hand up. "Please, no need to be formal. It makes me feel old." He nods towards the Gym. "So. How was it? The show, I mean."

Ash takes a moment to ask himself if this is really happening, that a _Gym Leader_ is talking to him, someone who _isn't_ a Trainer- "A _mazing_." Ash blurts out, voice reverent and _obviously_ amazed that Ash is disappointed in himself. Really? Fan-boying now of _all times_?

"Glad you think so," Volkner replies, "You know, I haven't really welcomed your family to Sunyshore, now that I think about it. Sorry about that." The man says, smiling apologetically.

Ash _really_ needs to get a grip. Like, now. What is wrong with him? "N-no need for that, its f-fine, Sir, uh Volkner."

Volkner shakes his head, "No, I've been a little neglectful of my duties as the keeper of Sunyshore. Let me make it up to you?"

When he puts it like that it sounds like _he_ owes _them_. What in Distortion's name is happening?

Really, all he wanted is to stay in Kanto, finally get his Trainer's License he worked so hard for, and aim for Mastery with his Pokémon friends. And to be more specific time-wise, all he wanted to do today is go somewhere peaceful and _sulk_.

Now he has the Sunyshore Gym Leader, the Shining Star, wanting to _visit_ his mother's house?

What even…?

"Okay," Ash croaks, because if he's being honest, he's really, really amazed that he's talking to Volkner the Gym Leader. "I-I'll tell my mom."

"I hope I wouldn't be imposing too much." Volkner smiles, following Ash as the younger male walks (stumbles, really) towards the direction of his house.

Discreetly, as they walked together silently, Ash pinched himself to see if he's dreaming. When he confirmed that he wasn't, he has to wonder _why_ Volkner would want to visit a non-Trainer. Sure, he's the Sunyshore Gym Leader but… isn't personally visiting a bit too much…? Not that Ash is against it, no, Gym Leaders visiting would be welcome because that's _awesome,_ but. He's not prepared.

Like, at all.

So to be correct, Volkner followed Ash quietly, returning greetings sent his way from the citizens, and Ash screamed at himself in the privacy of his own mind. He had managed to send a heads up to his mother, informing her that he's coming back with a guest and she should probably prepare snacks, but his hands shook so much Ash wasn't sure if his message was written properly.

"So Ash," Volkner starts, and Ash tries not to fidget, instead putting his hands in his pockets. "I noticed that you don't have a Pokémon, despite looking to be of age. Being a Trainer not your thing?"

Boy, Ash was glad he had already hid his hands in his pockets. He _really_ doesn't want anyone to see how his hands twitched in response to the innocent question.

"It's my thing, it's just," Ash shrugs as nonchalantly as he can manage. "There were some complications."

"What complications?"

This time, Ash did jump a foot in the air, a curse on the tip of his tongue when someone appeared beside him.

Upon recognizing the bi-coloured hair, Ash really, _really_ has to wonder like _what is happening today_ like is there? Some sort of? Cosmic force out there? That is wanting to mess with him? Ash knows he's done some bad things – well, _he_ considers them bad things – but was it _enough_ to warrant like a series of incidents like this?

First, Volkner talks to him.

Then Shade (somehow, _somehow_ ) tracks them down and now _she_ is talking to him-

"U-uh, what complications?" So here's the thing; Ash scored rather high on the time-pressure battling, the highest in fact. But that was battling; conversations aren't battles, they're _talking_ and Ash never really got the best grip on societal niceties or mastered the smoothest conversations (that area is Gary's expertise, and besides, Ash gets too mouthy for his own good). So, in short, Ash is a conversational disaster.

Fortunately for him, Shade doesn't have such problems so she smoothly turns to Volkner, who replies swiftly. "Complications in regards to his Trainer License. He's from Kanto."

Shade snaps her finger, turning to Ash and pointing to him with an expectant look on her face. "Either you didn't pass the Board Exam, the approval didn't go through _before_ your transfer here, or you left before you managed to even _take_ the exam." Shade grins at Ash's alarmed look, crossing her arms in front of her, looking so self-satisfied.

Ash has to gape, because she got the reason for his lack of Trainer License in just three _guesses_. Blind guesses, at that.

Before Ash could ask about how she guessed it right, Shade walks backwards, moving away from them. "Well, whatever those complications are, if you need help, you can come find me!" Shade says, looking Ash in the eye, like she's trying to convey _something_ else aside from the extremely generous offer. When Ash fails to respond – he ended up just gaping at her like a Magikarp out of water – Shade merely grins, winking before waggling her fingers at Volkner's direction. "I'll head home first, see you when you get back, Volk!"

And with that, Shade turns and leaves, leaving behind a gaping (and confused) Ash and an exasperated Volkner. Ash wordlessly turns to Volkner, a questioning finger pointed in the direction where Shade had gone off to. Volkner sighs, a small smile playing on his lips.

"That was Shade, as I assume you should already know," Volkner begins, the duo continuing their trek to Ash's house. "She's one of my oldest friends, which is why she acts so informally and familiarly towards me and the rest of Sunyshore."

"I've never seen her before today…" Ash trails off, desperately racking his brain for a memory of seeing the odd-haired girl. _Woman_ , Ash corrects himself, as Volkner said he and Shade were old friends and taking that to account, they must be the same age, or at the very least near in age.

"Because she doesn't live here," Volkner informs him, and Ash nods, now understanding the lack of Shade's prior presence. "She's from Unova."

Oh, _wow_. "That far?" Ash whistles, because Unova is on the _other side_ of world, along with Kalos and Alola. "Huh. I wonder what Pokémon she got. Must be pretty strong."

"I can definitely confirm that Shade is strong," Volkner grimaces. "But not in the conventional way. You've seen our fight earlier."

"Yeah, it's actually pretty hardcore, how she opted for a draw than a complete victory." Ash muses, giddiness flooding into his voice. "Now that I think about it, if that strategy was applied to a multi-round battle, it would have _way_ different results. I figured that technique would be most effective against an opponent that has an advantage over her team, beating the opponent with a sacrificial method, to be specific. If she can take out the cornerstone of the opponent's team in such a devastating and fast manner, she's putting _loads_ of psychological pressure on the other side." Ash rambles, pulling out his hands out of his pockets to gesticulate randomly, trying to convey his thoughts to the Gym Leader. "And also, I noticed that she had a _Psychic-link_ with a Ghost-type! That puts her in a tactical advantage due to speed of commanding as well as the lack of verbal communication, which keeps the opposition guessing."

Volkner makes a curious noise at the back of his throat, eyes a little wide as he looks as Ash in fascination. "You figured that out in just one battle?"

Ash flushes, instinctively burying his hands back into his pockets. "U-uh, my teacher back at Kanto sort of drilled into us, ah, _assessment_ skills. Said we need to process what we're seeing, pick it apart for details, and sort of form a hypothesis of the opponent's strategy's based on their methods. In the shortest time possible." Ash explains, a little nervous. "But there was one thing I wasn't sure about though."

Volkner blinks curiously at him, making a gesture for Ash to continue.

"That Mismagius… When did it land the Destiny Bond?" Ash asks. "It couldn't be during that 'phasing through the Luxray' part; that was obviously a different attack."

"And you'd be right," Volkner sighs. "It was actually during the part when my Luxray, Tes, got her jaws around Shade's Mismagius. It's honestly been a while since I've battled Shade, so I forgot her tendency to… to play things on the risky side. Shade had her Mismagius let my Luxray thrash her around, using the commotion to hide the placement of the Destiny Bond."

Ash brows furrowed. "You mean she purposely let her Pokémon be hurt just to set up a trap?"

Volkner nods. "Sounds irresponsible and dangerous, I know, but Shade and her team works differently. In a manner only a few that isn't them can stomach, really." Volkner hums. "Besides, Shade specializes in Dark and Ghost Pokémon, and those two types aren't too keen on following conventional things."

Ash frowns, but before he could speak, his mother's house comes into view and he tries to stifle the urge to turn around and walk away, clenching his fists inside his pockets. He turns to Volkner, gesturing towards his mother's house. "So, uh, here we are." Ash says lamely, trying not to grimace. He quickly walks up the walkway, up the patio and then opening the front door.

Ash removes his outside shoes for the second time that day, putting his inside shoes on. He hastily offers a spare indoor footwear for Volkner, after the man is done removing is own outside shoes. Ash can hear his mother tromp down the stairs on quick feet, and he turns, just in time to see her walk down the last step.

Ash sees the split second she's shocked into silence by the sight of Volkner, but she smoothly recovers, walking forward to greet the guest.

(Ash pretends not to notice his mother's alarmed look, moving to the kitchen to fetch Volkner some drinks and snacks instead.)

Upon returning to the living room, Ash is reminded that his awkwardness in social situations is all him, because Delia and Volkner are sitting across from each other, chatting amicably and a mile a minute already, as if Ash wasn't gone for just a few minutes. Ash, not really keeping pace with… whatever the adults are talking about, just sits there to the side, pouring them cups of tea and replenishing the plate of pastry when needed (Ash is sort of impressed at the amount Volkner puts away, and from the look of it, he's nowhere near full yet). He also lets his mind wander.

Specifically, his mind wanders over to Shade, and her offer.

Bold of her to offer her help to a stranger, but if Ash is being honest… He's tempted. _Very, very_ tempted. His chance to become a Trainer is dropped on his lap, after all, so how can he refuse such a tempting offer? If he can, he would leave the house – again, but he doesn't care – and seek out the strange woman, take her up on her offer, and finally, _finally_ take his first step in becoming a Master.

As he should be doing already.

But better just a few months late than wait for next year; Ash just really, really loathes wasting time.

The only thing that's keeping him in his seat, is that he's… he's a little weirded out by Shade. There was… something off about her. Something lurking… Or maybe that just her overly friendly (and overly flamboyant) personality chafing against Ash's prickly self. He's prone to overthinking, after all, so maybe that just it. Clashing personalities.

He ought to talk to Volkner, as the older man was present when Shade extended the offer to Ash. And besides, Volkner surely knows if it's a good idea to accept Shade's offer. Ash doubts that Shade is a sinister character… but better to be sure, right?

Tentative plan made, Ash let himself drift where he is, answering when questioned directly ("I didn't know you know Mr. Volkner, Ash!" "We just, ah, met earlier, really.") or getting up to get more refreshments for his mother and Volkner. Ash isn't sure how long Volkner stayed – he didn't mind, Volkner is actually a chill person to be around – but when Volkner excused himself, Ash got up to see him off, like a proper host.

"I'm glad to hear that you and your mother are settling well, Ash," Volkner says. Ash really, _really_ , tries not to grimace at that. "I hope we can talk some other time, when I'm free."

"Actually, about that…" Ash fidgets a little, hiding twitchy hands in his pockets. "Uh, you… You heard about Ms. Shade's offer. Earlier. You heard it, right?" Come on Ash, don't become a stuttering mess now. "Well, I was, uh, wondering about… your opinion… on that."

Volkner blinks several times in surprise, leaning back and regarding Ash carefully. Ash tries to not to fidget under the intense scrutiny, opting to look down and stare at Volkner's well-worn sneakers instead. "Hmm, my opinion, huh?" Volkner leans against the wall, pursing his lips in thought. "Well, to be honest… I say go for it."

Ash is surprised by the easy and almost blasé answer. "What?"

Volkner shrugs. "I know Shade; she doesn't let anyone have her favour so easily unless she has a reason. And she's a good person, despite all her… quirks." He explains. "And the fact that she's offering to _help_ _you_ secure your Trainer License… Well, I'd suggest you take her up on her offer. If she retracts is, there's no more get backs. Besides," Volkner smiles at Ash. "I'm pretty sure, with whatever help you get from Shade, you'll put it to good use. You seem like a good kid Ash."

Ash somehow manages not to trip in place and stutter in embarrassment. He does duck his head though, practically tucking his chin against his chest. "U-uh, thanks."

Volkner lets out a small laugh, before opening the front and stepping through. Ash follows after him quietly, watching the older man leave. Ash lets out a stuttering breath. Today was _wild_ , after all.

"Oh, yeah, Ash?" Ash looks up, seeing Volkner by the end of the walkway, half-turned towards him. Volkner tilts his head, a questioning look on his face. "When you get your Trainer License… What will you do?"

A large smile overtakes Ash's face before he can control it.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asks, rhetorically.

"I will _be_ a Pokémon Master."

 **SUPERNOVA**

Dinner time at Delia's house is mostly a quiet affair, but tonight, it's a little different.

Ash can't blame the change in routine, though. He continues to determinedly spoon more beef soup into his bowl, practically drowning the rice with how much he's pouring, while his mother gushes on and on about Volkner's visit.

"I'm so surprised Ash," Delia was saying, waving her fork around while Ash concentrates on ripping apart the beef slices. "For the Sunyshore Gym Leader to visit _us_?"

"I know the feeling," Ash mumbles back, wondering himself how exactly did that happen. He's still in disbelief, like he's just having a very detailed, very crazy dream. "But I don't think I'm hallucinating though."

Delia sighs, a dreamy look on her face. "Ah, but I have to say, that man is quite the catch. Shame I don't have any daughters." Delia looks over at Ash. "Or that you're not a girl."

Ash has a few choice words about that, but they shouldn't be uttered around his mother in risk of being given a scolding that would scar him for life. So he resorts to glaring at his mother, wishing that she wasn't so _fixated_ on romance. Or his love-life. Which is foreseeably non-existent until he achieves his goal. Even then, Ash isn't really sure if he really wants such a thing.

"Can you not," Ash tries to bend his chopsticks by sheer force of his mortification. "Say _that_?"

Delia blinks innocently at him. "… Do you like Volkner even if you're a guy?"

Ash wishes the ground would swallow him whole. Why is his mother like _this_? "Alright, let me just," He gets up, turns towards the door, "Jump off the lighthouse real quick-"

Delia's tinkling laughter rings out, a firm hand clamping around Ash's wrist in a vice-like grip. Ash sits back down, huffing in irritation. Really, why is his mother like _this_? He wasn't the perfect child, he's aware of that, but does she have to make him suffer like this?

Ugh.

Excitement over, the mother and child resume their dinner, the only sounds permeating the air is of the clinking of chopsticks against ceramic wares, of metal spoons against the bowls, and the nightlife of Sunyshore outside the house. Delia's shenanigans aside, the evening was peaceful.

Although, Ash isn't so sure how long that peace might last, with what he's going to announce a little later.

See, Ash had thought about Shade's offer of help, and consequently Volkner's encouragement in accepting said woman's offer. At this point, there wasn't _any_ negatives to it – aside from the unavoidable, but Ash didn't claw his way to Professor Oak's top three just to _muck up_ all the knowledge – so Ash, if given the chance, would bolt out the door and seek out Shade, take up on her offer without any more second wasted.

 _But_. He has to let his mother know of his plans. He has to let him know that someone had reached out to him, offered their help. And whether or not his mother would approve of this, Ash is still going. He is _definitely_ going. And his mother won't be able to stop him.

After all, she owes him this, right? If Ash didn't (convolutedly) meet Shade, he would have been forced to retake the Board Exam after _three_ years, as competitive season roughly takes two years, with a gap year in between. If he didn't (convolutedly) meet Shade, Ash would've _wasted_ three years. Absolutely unacceptable.

So, after dinner, after washing the dishes, Ash is going to sit his mother down, and declare his plans.

Which is exactly what he did the moment he finished washing the dishes; he sat his mother down, and told her about Shade's sudden offer, his interest in it, and that he's _taking_ that offer, no matter what. He won't be dissuaded, no matter what she does. It might be a little rude – okay, _a lot_ rude – but Ash doesn't care.

Being an official Trainer is _so near_. Practically at the tip of his fingers. He _will_ reach out and grab it-

"… Okay." Ash blinks, looking over at his mother, wondering if he misheard. Delia smiles, a weak and brittle thing, and Ash pushes the guilt away. His mother nods slowly, like she still shocked but already beginning to process Ash's words, his plans, his intent. "Okay. You won't hear me stopping you dear. It's… It's what you've wanted for so long."

Ash couldn't help the slow grin that on his face, the _utter_ relief. He just sits there for a moment, unable to even move from the amount of joy his mother's permission gave him. Then, before he could really put a lid on his excitement, he jumps up onto his feet, fists punching the air as he lets out a loud whoop. The sudden, explosive show of happiness from Ash made Delia laugh, and Ash didn't think too much when he bent down and hugged her tightly. Delia returned his embrace with equal ferocity.

"I gotta go pack," Ash blurts, pulling away from Delia's embrace with a gasp. He brings up a finger, "I gotta pack a travel bag, get my stuff together, _prepare_ \- oh, by Distortion, do we have maps? _Do we have maps_?"

And so, the rest of the evening is spent in a frenzied flurry of preparations, with Ash preparing to set off on a region-wide jaunt in his quest to become _The_ Pokémon Master. They managed to unearth a bag (a pouch, really) which used the same technology as a Pokéball's – meaning everything inside is transformed into codes of data and stored in a database, then reverted into its original form when 'released' – so Ash would be spared the grief from thieves, and heavy bags.

The bag is then loaded up with travel-safe clothes, as well as a tent, a couple sleeping bags – never know when a spare can be used – as well as a book entitled 'Walking in the Wilderness for Dummies'. Ash didn't even complain at that; he knows he might find something useful, despite the title.

Delia finally ( _finally_ ) gave Ash his credit card, containing trust fund money accumulated for 16 years and a bonus added just that night when Delia agreed to having Ash take his Coming of Age journey. Ash had wasted no time in making a list of what he'll be buying come morning, the list being changed over and over when mother and son debated on what to bring, and what not to bring.

("I really should bring a knife, mom." "No, you will _not!_ ")

It took them quite a while, even though they were rushing, but by the time they were done, it was midnight, and Delia had retreated to her room to rest, bone-tired from keeping up with Ash's enthusiasm.

Ash himself is not the least bit tired though, so he boots up the computer in his room and logs into the chatrooms, pleased that his friend is still online.

 _Ashy-boy: u ther bro_

 _Future Professor: Yes Ash. And would it_ _ **kill**_ _you to use proper typing?_

 _Ashy-boy: ye itll kill me_

 _Ashy-boy: but enuf of dat_

 _Ashy-boy: I got news_

 _Future Professor: Spill it, then. I'm logging of soon._

 _Ashy-boy: I'm gonna be a_ _ **Trainer**_ _._

Looking at that, Ash feels so _pleased_ , so fulfilled, like being a Trainer is what he was _always_ meant to be. Like it was Fate herself _wants_ him to be a Trainer. 'Trainer Ash'. Ah, it even rolls of the tongue so nicely!

Suddenly, Ash's computer chimes a merry tune, his screen displaying a 'VIDEO CALL INCOMING' which had Ash scrambling for his headphones – so his mother doesn't have to be woken by the screaming that will undoubtedly come from his best friend's end. He puts them on, plugging it into the audio jack before hitting the 'Accept' button.

Gary's face appears on the screen, glasses perched on his nose, spiky brown hair a total mess and his lab coat still on. Huh, so he was still working, even at such a late hour.

Ash grins. "Hey-"

Ash thanks his quick reflexes, because he managed to yank his headphones off in time, saving himself from what must be an _absolutely_ piercing shriek Gary let out, judging from how Gary had his mouth opened really wide, and even the veins in his neck are standing out. Ash just watches Gary shriek for a solid 30 seconds, both impressed and exasperated at Gary's antics, and when Gary has shrieked himself hoarse – hah, karma – Ash puts the headphones back on, smirking.

"You done yet Gary?" He taunts, snickering when Gary coughs out a laugh, reaching somewhere off screen to grab a cup of something drink, gulping it down enthusiastically to soothe his throat.

"Shove off Ash." Gary croaks, voice _definitely_ wrecked because he's an idiot.

Ash mockingly cups a hand over his ear, squinting at the screen. "I'm sorry, Gary, but I didn't hear that." He says, fighting off a grin. "Could you say it louder?"

He gets Gary's middle finger as a response, and Ash laughs softly, shaking his head. When they're both calm – and Gary's throat now soothed – Ash tries again, unable to help but grin at his older friend. "Hey there future prof." He chuckles, sticking his tongue out at Gary's eye-roll. "I see you're working really hard."

"I'm Gramp's personal _intern_ , what did you expect?" Gary replies, sipping more of that drink of his. The older male sighs, leaning back on his seat and raking a hand through unruly locks. "But workload aside, I'm doing more than fine, really. Doesn't make me regret handing over the Champion's mantle back to Lance."

Ash wisely doesn't give his two cents on Gary's choices, rather picking a much safer conversation route. Specifically, how he's going to be a Trainer soon enough. "Good to hear that. But you know what makes me happier?" Ash couldn't help the grin that practically took over his face. "The fact that I'm going to be a Trainer soon."

Gary jolts at that, sitting straighter and almost _lurching_ towards his own screen, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Tell me about that." Gary demands, eyes gleaming in undisguised interest and glee. " _Spare no details_!"

And so Ash happily recounts his story, from his not-so-good day, to the fight between Volkner and Shade, and finally Shade's offer. By the end of it all, Gary is staring wide-eyed at Ash, a hand cupping his chin, almost unmoving. Ash is grinning all the while, unbothered with Gary's stare.

"Ashy, my bro, are you telling me…" Gary sucks in a breath, blinking owlishly. "You got yourself a _sugar mommy_?"

Ash accidentally kicks out at the edge of his desk. The _very_ metal, _very_ solid edge of his desk. Ash managed to swallow a shout of pain, and he glares viciously at Gary who is howling in laughter. "Can you _not_?!" Ash hisses, cradling his foot close, rubbing at it in an attempt at easing the pain away. "And also, _no?_ I didn't get a sugar mommy, Gary, what?"

Gary was still laughing, in actual tears as of the moment. Ash, for some horrible, horrible moment, entertains the thought that if Gary and Shade were ever to meet… Ash shudders, fear crawling up his spine, and he hopes to The One that will _never_ happen. _Never_.

Ash buries his face in his hands. "Why are we friends again."

Gary lets out a last cackling laugh, slapping his knee. "Ask your mom and Gramps, they practically raised us as brothers," He wheezes. He takes a deep breath, unable to help the few giggles that escaped him. Gary fixes Ash a smug look, turning his nose up at the younger male. "And as your _older brother_ , it is my sworn duty to mortify you beyond your worst nightmares, Ashy."

Ash rolls his eyes, grimacing. "Yay, I guess." He knows, that when it comes to embarrassing Ash, Gary and his own mother are at the top of the list. Wow, what kind of family he has; _backstabbers_ , the lot of them.

(But if comes down to it, he wouldn't exchange them for the world, despite all… all the grievances between them.)

Gary looks at him fondly then, one corner of his lips kicking up into a crooked smile. "But really though," He begins softly, looking down at his own fingers, which Ash knows are calloused and heavily scarred from his own years out in the wilds of Kanto, four years years of it spent clawing his way to the top, to get the Champion's Mantle for his own. "I'm… I'm so glad for you Ash," Gary looks up, looks right into Ash's eyes. "Like, I'm feeling what I felt when I got my own License, and I _know_ how much you've wanted this. Prepared for this. I'm glad you're finally getting what you want."

Ash grinned, wide and so pleased. "I'm glad too."

And so the two of them talked for an hour more, until the day's events have finally caught up to Ash, making his lids heavy and his mind fogged up, and Gary sent him to bed with a laugh and words of encouragement ("Call me when you need anything. Well, anything besides money and precious items!" "… Thanks."). Ash turns his computer after that, smiling all the while, and he finally flops on his bed, face first.

"I'm gonna be a Trainer," He whispers, smiling harder. "I'm… finally gonna be a Trainer."

And with that pleasant thought, Ash falls asleep.

 **SUPERNOVA**

Ash wakes up before his alarm again, but he couldn't even be bothered by how early he is; he's too excited. Apparently his mom is feeling the same, because when he ran down the stairs – already dressed and bathed - she's already cooking, cooking something fit for an army to be specific.

Ash is glad his stomach alone is an army.

Delia smiles at him as Ash takes a seat, practically drooling at the sight of his mother's meals. "Good morning," She says, piling up a plate with tonkatsu slices, as well rice and then pouring a generous amount of sweet sauce over it. She places it before Ash, chuckling at the way he eyes it like a man who hasn't eaten in years. "I can see you're excited."

Ash doesn't look away from the tempting food. "Can you blame me?"

Delia's smile takes a wan quality to it. "I suppose not," She sighs. She takes a seat herself, and after the said their thanks, Delia grinned. "So, let's eat!"

The food didn't last long between them, and before they knew it, Ash is bringing his packed bag downstairs in preparation – in case he has to leave right away – and Delia is hugging him fiercely by the front door, bawling her eyes out at how her baby boy is growing up, and he's finally going to be recognized as an adult.

Ash gamely endures his mother's antics – after all, he doesn't know when he'll be back here to Sunyshore – and when the goodbyes are over, and Delia's instructions are over and done with, Ash set off for the Sunyshore Gym, figuring he could check the place out if Shade, or even Volkner, is there. If not… he could probably drop by Volkner's house to ask where Shade is.

Luckily for him though, in front of the Gym is Volkner _and_ Shade – despite the early hour – so Ash easily jogs up to them, grinning excitedly.

At his approach, Shade smiles smugly, cocking a brow a Volkner. "I knew he'd accept," Ash hears her say, and he slows down to a stop before the two adults. Shade looks up at him, smiling widely. "Good morning, future Trainer!"

Wow, it's _so good_ to be acknowledged as a Trainer. Ash, remembering his manners, bows to them at the waist. "Thank you." He straightens. "Thank you so much."

Shade shrugs, casual. "No problem kid. Now!" Shade takes the folder she had tucked under her arm, handing it towards Ash. Confused, he takes it with both hands, and then he sees the Kanto coat of arms stamped on the side. "Inside that folder is the necessary files for your Trainership to go through, and let me tell you, I'm glad I have enough contacts in the Kanto League." Shade was rambling. "Normally, you'd have to take an exam again, since I went and checked and found you already passed the Board Exam, but get this; I got you a personal letter of recommendation from your Professor, Professor Oak. So you get to skip the tedious parts."

Ash gapes when the implications set it. "Y-you mean…?" _By Arceus by Arceus by Arceus this is actually HAPPENING-_

Shade smirks. "That I practically gave you an instant Trainership? Then yes." She laughs, and Volkner is smiling as well. "We have to file this with the Professor here in Sinnoh, meaning that would be Old Man Rowan, so you can register in the database officially and save yourself from further complications. Oh, so you can have free access to League facilities if you're planning to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion."

Ash couldn't wait, he's practically _vibrating_. Volkner chuckles at him, releasing two Medichams. "Calm down; you'll explode if you don't do so." He jokes. Shade snorts at that, afterwards smiling warmly at one of the Medichams that approached her, the Meditate Pokémon offering a hand towards the woman. Shade curtsies with a soft laugh, placing her hand in the Pokémon's.

The other Medicham holds its own hands out towards Volkner and Ash, and Ash, after swallowing his nerves, places his hands on the Pokémon's-

 _Hello, little one_

Ash blinks, frowning in confusion because did he just hear a voice in his head?

 _That would be me. The Medicham in front of you_

Ash gapes at the said Medicham, and it seems to smile in amusement, before it looks away, turning towards Volkner. Ash guesses the two are speaking telepathically – with the tell-tale pink glow in their eyes – and after a moment Volkner looks at Shade then at Ash.

"Well, we'll be teleporting to Sandgem Town, where the Professor's laboratories are. First timers, I advise you to close your eyes." Volkner says, and Ash easily complies, not wanting to risk it.

"And in three, two… one!"

Ash feels like the whole world lurch and jerk beneath him, and he almost stumbled when the world solidified once more. Ash groans as he opens his eyes, deeming it safe to do so, and he finds Sunyshore gone, to be replaced by a small, homey town. It reminded Ash of Pallet-

Ash stops that thought in its tracks.

No need to send himself in a tizzy now.

Volkner makes gestures to the town around them a soft smile on his lips. "Welcome to Sandgem Town. It's small, but it has it charms." Volkner points toward something behind Ash, and he turns, noticing the largest building in the town, with aged brick walls, a dark blue roofing, and massive glass windows. There's a signage off to the side, and Ash sees 'Rowan Laboratories' written in fancy script.

Ah, so this is the place. Ash watches Shade all but skip towards the laboratory, and he follows closely as she enters, unable to help ogle at the things in the receiving room.

It's certainly… something else. The walls seem to be made out of _bookshelves_ , brimming with books – Ash tries to keep his hands to himself – and knickknacks, and when Ash looked upwards to the ceiling, he can't help but gape. It's an extremely detailed star map, and Ash absently muses that if one of his friends, Misty, was here, she'd be frothing at the mouth at seeing such a detailed star map.

"Yoohoo, Professor Rowan~!" Shade sings out, completely at ease, and Ash had to snicker at the way Volkner had a tight grasp on the back of Shade's shirt, probably an attempt to stop the woman from causing chaos. "I have a Trainer-to-be with me right now!"

A door opens down the hall, and Ash vaguely recognizes the old man from the science fairs Professor Oak and Gary had taken him to.

Professor Rowan may not be a once-Champion like Professor Oak was, but Professor Rowan had his own aura of authority, his own identity. The man before Ash had spent the majority of his life diligently and ruthlessly learning and researching about Pokémon's evolution, slowly but surely uncovering its secrets and sharing them with the community in hope of improving human-Pokémon relations, to instil understanding.

Of course, not everything is uncovered yet, but undoubtedly, Professor Rowan is an expert when it comes to evolution; uncontested in his knowledge.

"Ah," Professor Rowan strokes the edge of his beard, regarding the grinning Shade with an amused quirk of his eyebrow. "If it isn't the most incorrigible troublemaker that graced the region of Sinnoh."

'Incorrigible troublemaker'…? That… that doesn't sound too good…

Shade just smiles smugly, looking _extremely_ proud. "That's me."

Professor Rowan shakes his head, exasperated but surely fond, and he turns to Volkner, who respectfully bows his head in deference. "Ah, young Volkner. It's rare for the Shining Star to leave his home." The man remarks.

Volkner just smiles, shrugging but otherwise keeping silent.

Finally, Professor Rowan turns to Ash, acknowledging his presence, and by reflex, Ash bows at the waist again. He only straightens when the Professor tells him to, and he automatically hides his hands in his pockets, hiding the way it's starting to become clammy.

"Ah, the potential Trainer…" Professor Rowan remarks, prowling closer to Ash. "Mm, imagine my surprise when my old friend Oak called me up so suddenly, speaking in favour of a young man… Your papers, please?"

Ash immediately hands over the folder in his grasp, trying not to fidget in nervousness when Professor begins to parse through his files, the man humming in interest every now and then.

"… Taught by no other than Professor Oak himself, eh?" Three pairs of eyes flicked over to Ash, one in interest, one in mild surprise, and the last in confirmation. Ash swallows, nodding. Professor Rowan nods to himself, looking back down at the file in his hands. "Mm, smart, if a little too reliant on books, but eager to learn. A Pokémon lover, oho! Always a good thing. Mm, a lot of good things speaking of you, I suppose…"

Wow, this is nerve wracking.

Ash jumps in surprise when Professor Rowan snaps the folder close, the man turning to him with a glint in his eyes. "Well, I don't see a problem." He declares, and Ash's heart nearly _stops_ in his chest. "I say, welcome to Sinnoh, Trainer Ash."

And so Ash finally takes his first step, with the biggest smile on his face.

* * *

 **I have a reason as to why Gary is four years older than Ash (meaning, Ash is 16 and Gary is 20 in this f** **ic). But I won't say anything further than I just want to hahaha.**

 **Okay, so, Ash in Sinnoh! Now, the thing about the** **OCs I mentioned is that I need Trainers for Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig! I don't have anymore necessary brainpower to make Ohs for each Sinnoh Starter, so I need help, haha. for the Trainer OCs, I need basic information, their battle style, personality, looks, and anything else you deem necessary. For their team, I need a team, labeled in the order of their capture, their starter being 1 and so on and so forth. The teams can be all-Sinnoh Pokemon, though if you can give me a good explanation for them having a non-local Pokemon, awesome!**

 **That should do for now.**

 **Please drop reviews! Comments! Complaints! I hope we have fun~**


	2. 02 - baby steps, baby steps

By afternoon, Ash, Volkner and an extremely pleased Shade are back in Sunyshore, specifically in the Gym. The two adults are looking at Ash with undisguised amusement, and honestly, Ash doesn't blame them. After all, Ash has been clutching his brand new, personal Pokédex, updated to carry his _Trainer License,_ for the past couple of hours. He didn't receive the standard Sinnoh Starters – they were already taken by the local rookies – but that was fine, because apparently, Shade had gone ahead and procured a Starter for Ash.

 _Wow_.

Now, they had retreated to the Gym, as previously stated, and Ash is practically vibrating out of his skin at the prospect of getting his _first ever_ Pokémon partner. His mind is running a mile a minute, wondering what Shade would give him. Is it Unovan? Is it going to be _strong_? Is it rare, or is it common? What's its typing?

"Look at him, so eager." Shade snickered, looking over at Ash with blatant amusement. Ash can feel himself flush, but he couldn't concentrate on it too much, not when Shade pulled out one of those odd green and black Pokéballs from within her jacket – not from the column clipped to the side of her thigh – and Ash _knows_ that's the one that will be given to him.

"I don't exactly blame him," Volkner murmured from where he sits; at the edge of the Trainer box, with his legs dangling over the edge. He had released one of his team mates earlier, a small but speedy Raichu, and it's currently beside him, ears twitching as it watched in interest. "Everyone is _always_ eager for their Pokémon. More so their first."

Shade nods agreeably, still smiling widely. "True, true. Now, my new charge, I suggest you tuck away your Pokédex for this!"

Ash is a little confused by the suggestion, but does as told anyway, walking over to the Trainer box and handing it to Volkner, who had gestured to hold it for him. Ash walks back to his original spot, and Shade paces around him with a sharp smile, like a hunter circling prey. Ash tried not to shiver in reflexive fear.

"Mm, do make a good impression on the little one, yeah?" Shade says conversationally, deeming Ash fit – or something – and walking over to him, carefully depositing the odd looking Pokéball in his hands. Ash isn't going to lie; his hands are _shaking_. Ash looks up when Shade pats him on the shoulder, her grin all teeth. "Good luck."

And with those honestly ominous words, Shade retreats, jumping up to grab the edge of the Trainer box and _hauling herself up_ just by the strength of her arms. Ash gapes at the little display of strength, and Shade winks at him when she's settled beside Volkner, lying on her side and propping her head up with an arm.

Ash swallows roughly, looking down on the Pokéball in his hands- "Okay, before anything else can I ask something?" Is he stalling for time? Yes. Does he care? Not particularly.

Shade cocks an eyebrow before gesturing with her free arm. "Have at it, then."

Ash holds up the green and black Pokéball. "What kind of Pokéball is this? It looks weird."

Shade makes a confirming sound, nodding a little. "Recently made, actually. Those babies are called _Dusk_ Balls, made to have extremely high capture rates the darker the environment is. It's perfect for night-time or underground captures, in my not so humble opinion." Shade's smile turns absolutely predatory. "It also has a nice synergy with… _certain_ types, as well."

That's… that's ominous.

Ash looks down at the Pokéball- _Dusk_ Ball in his hands. Takes a deep breath to calm his nerves – it didn't work – and he taps the release button, letting out the creature within.

The red light coalesces into a considerably large quadruped, and from the vague form, Ash can say it has four short but thick legs, with a large, round head and what seems to be a horn pointing upwards and backwards from the back of its head.

The light disappears with a final surge, and upon its disappearance, Ash is treated to further details of his new _Starter_.

It's mostly bicolored; short blue fur covering most of its body, and a pitch black mane covers the base of neck, its slightly long neck, and covering most of its head too, smoothly melding with the upright tuft of fur protruding from the back of its head. It has a wide but short, beak-like mouth – as far as Ash can see, it doesn't have any sort of teeth – and a nose that keep flaring. There are odd purple flecks on the thick mane decorating the reptile's neck, and Ash almost missed the stubby little tail if he didn't caught it in his periphery.

Ash watches in fascination when the little creature take deep, deep breaths, nostrils flaring wide. Ash couldn't see any eyes, even when the fur covering most of its head parted briefly. Ash is amazed that this little this is literally _lacking_ _eyes_ , so he figured it relies on its sense of smell, and hearing to locate things.

The little creature lets is tongue flick out slowly, and Ash realizes that it's _sensing via taste_. The little reptile has the prerequisite forked tongue – although it's still a little short – and that's definitely amazing.

The little creature swivels its head to look at Ash, tongue flicking out once more. It cocks its head, letting out a low, questioning chirrup.

Ash can't help but grin. "Hey there little guy." Well, he guesses it's a guy. The little reptile perks up, tilting its head towards Ash. "Curious little creature aren't you?"

It lets out a soft chirp.

Then opens its maw wide and _screeches_.

Ash yelps, clapping his hands over his ears, but it's no use; the little _beast_ just keeps on screeching and _screeching_ -

It stops, and Ash is left panting, ears ringing and a migraine growing alarmingly fast between his eyes. He's forced to fall onto his knees, dizzy as hell and head throbbing from the unholy noise. He can't hear anything – he hopes his ears didn't burst – and _wow_. He's both impressed and horrified at the lungs the little fellow has on it.

"What in the…?" Ash really can't hear anything properly; he sounds like his own voice is far, _far_ away.

He can hear something, but it's oh so very faint that he can't discern anything-

Ash eyes catches on the little beast, and it has its mouth open, head hunkered low and it's stalking. _Towards him._

Nope.

Ash, in a burst of fear-induced adrenaline, gets up on his feet in record time – dizziness miraculously gone – and he's already sprinting away from the violently hissing reptile, which is uncomfortably _fast_ despite its small legs. It lets out a shriek, one that signals a hunt, and Ash questions his choices for a moment.

"What in the _-_?!" Ash shrieks, gunning towards the opposite Trainer box, and he hears Shade laughing uncontrollably from behind him.

Ash can swear Shade is actually the _Devil_.

The little beast on his heels snaps threateningly, and Ash pumps his legs faster. No way will he _caught_ by this little demon!

Ash jumps, grabbing the edge of the empty Trainer box, and brings his legs up with a heave and a growl of exertion. The little beast squeals in surprise when its quarry – Ash, of course – is no longer directly in front of it. It didn't manage to stop itself in time, and so crashed heavily against the Trainer box's support. Ash didn't waste time in dropping down and running the other way, back towards Shade and Volkner's occupied Trainer box.

Shade was in hysterics, rolling around the Trainer box's floor – Ash distantly hopes she falls off – and Volkner and his Raichu are both doing well in hiding their amusement.

Ash hastily climbs the Trainer box, closing the gate behind him, and he lets a gusty sigh of relief, slumping on the floor, panting hard.

"What," He gasps, wincing when his legs cramped up. "What in Distortion's _unholy name-_?!"

Shade's only response was to let out another loud peal of laughter, legs kicking out in the air in her mirth.

Volkner, apparently, is the kinder person between the two, as he turned to Ash, gesturing at the black and blue _beast_ picking a fight with the support post. If Ash wasn't so miffed – or scared – he would have laughed at the sight.

"That, Ash, is a _Deino_ ," Volkner begins, and Ash immediately whips out his brand new Pokédex, searching up the name. At its basic information, Ash bodily _flinches_. Volkner smirks at that, no doubt knowing what had caused such a reaction. "It seems you've found its information page."

Find it Ash did, and Ash is now 10000% sure Shade is the _Devil_.

Deino, or also classified as the Irate Pokémon, is a Pokémon local to Unovan lands, found deep in the cold mountainous areas. They're one of the Pokémons sitting at the top of the food chain in Unova, as the Deino line are known for their strength, viciousness, and their tendency to go into a blind (no pun intended) rage at the _drop of a hat_. It's ironic that these guys are _herbivores_ , but despite that, they're one of Unova's monstrous jewels.

Oh, of course.

The Deino-line have also the primary type of _Dark_ , and a secondary of _Dragon_.

"… I just might actually die," Ash whispers, robotically scrolling through the extensive part that warns a potential Trainer about this particular little _monster_. "I should've jumped off of the lighthouse."

Ash never heard of a Pokémon with this particular type combination before, and Ash knows that this little beast- _Deino_ will be _powerful_.

Dark types are notorious for having one of the nastiest tricks in their sleeves – Ash remembers that Memento, a move Shade's Mismagius had used, is a Dark type move – and Dragons are _just plain powerhouses_. Combined into one, volatile creature…

Ash knows his work is cut out for him.

"Now, now, no thoughts of suicide in regards to my lighthouse," Volkner chides, reaching over to pet his Raichu, who purrs in delight. Volkner raises a foot to _lightly_ kick Shade, who is now curled in a foetal position, tears in her eyes and wheezing uncontrollably. Ash wonders if he can punt her clear off the Trainer box- "Hey, joke time is over, you walnut."

"Joke time is _never_ over you piece of untoasted, _mouldy_ _bread_." Shade shots back, still giggling helplessly. She takes a moment to calm down – sniggering here and there – but she manages to tamp down most of her mirth, turning to Ash with a playful grin. "'Sup Rookie. How're you holding up?"

Ash looks at her, deadpan. "I'm going to die."

"No you won't."

"I definitely will."

"Well, I'm still alive right?" Shade shrugs, and pulls one of those Dusk Balls from her thigh holster, enlarging it and tossing it over. It lets out a large flash of light, and Ash scrambles towards the edge, peering over-

And into the deep violet eyes of what is no doubt Deino's final evolution.

Ash freezes, unable to move as fear choked him, making movement impossible, and he couldn't even breathe, couldn't think. The _monster's_ eyes glittered, all three heads shifting to look at Ash above it, and it flexes _long_ , _large_ wings. Pitch black feathers seem to absorb all light from it, making the three pairs of _absolutely massive_ wings like tendrils of darkness.

A hand on Ash's bicep pulls him from his frightened reverie, and Shade slowly pushes him away from the edge, a small smile on her lips.

"Relax," She tells him, and Ash is still too scared-stiff to do anything aside from sitting back down. "She's a friendly one."

To prove her point, Shade moves to the edge of the Trainer box, upper half of her body hanging off the edge while her hips and legs stayed within. Shade easily lowers herself, bringing her closer to the _Hydreigon_ ; fearless, reckless, and absolutely trusting.

To Ash's amazement, the Hydreigon merely cooed softly at Shade, all three heads surging up to shower her with kisses and licks, which made Shade laugh adoringly, cupping the biggest head under its chin so she can pull it up and press a loud smooch on its forehead. The Hydreigon shakes its wings in joy, fluttering softly.

Shade pulls herself back, still smiling, and gestured to her Hydreigon, who had spotted Ash's own Deino at this point. "As you can see, with enough time and work, trust can be made between you and someone of their species," She says, smiling affectionately at her beast of a dragon. "Granted, Nix is odd because she's relatively meeker than others of her kind, but I still had rough spots with her despite that. Now, well. I guess you could call her my one of my best friends."

Ash wasn't able to say anything more when Shade's Hydreigon, Nix, let's out a bellowing roar so strong it forced Ash to brace against the floor, feeling his bones and teeth rattle from the force of it. Even Volkner reaches out to grab on to hold onto something, his Raichu curled up safely in his arms.

"Now, let me tell you about Deino and their kind," Shade is saying, softly but urgently, looking into Ash's eyes with those unsettlingly bright eyes. "Particularly this little one I'm entrusting to you. He's freshly hatched; I'm speaking he has yet to acknowledge a parental figure, so if you do it the right way, you can present yourself as its _kin_ and make things relatively easier for you." She says, tone firm and heavy with command.

Ash swallows, eyes flicking to the Deino who is now cowering in the face of the larger Hydreigon. He swallows. "W-what do I do?" He asks, because he really doesn't know. "How do I do that, I m-mean?"

Shade nods towards the two dragons. "Deino, Zweilous and Hydreigon have one of the most sensitive auditory, olfactory and palate. I'll let you figure that one out." She turns back to him, and her grin is Gengar-like. "So get down there and win the little one over!"

Thankfully, probably seeing how scared Ash is, Shade recalls her Hydreigon, and Ash carefully leaves the Trainer box, leaving the gate in case he needs to run. Or his nerves get the better him. Either or, really.

The moment Ash puts a foot down on the floor, the Deino had turn his way, head lowered and hissing in a show of menace, a clear warning.

"I'll let you know, Deino are mostly herbivorous." Shade pipes up absently, and Ash is sure at this point that Shade is giving him clues to a _puzzle_. A puzzle, that when he solved, would mean having the Deino's loyalty and acknowledgement.

The Deino slowly comes towards Ash, and Ash swallows his fear, taking one step forward but three steps to his right, keeping his front to the hostile little Pokémon. In response to his movement, the Deino falls into step, the two circling each other like battlers sizing each other up, hyping the tension to new heights.

Ash knows he can't dally for long, so he thinks about Shade's words, the obvious glee in her voice as she spoke her words of advice. Ash can tell she didn't _outright_ say what he had to do, but he knows there is _definitely_ , a clue in there.

So, running through the Deino's information in his head, Ash set out to solve the puzzle, all the while his eyes trained on the hissing and snapping Deino.

Deino, from the complete lack of eyes of visual organs, are confirmed only to sense their surroundings and objects via smell, sound and feel. Ash theorized that they might also be able to feel/sense vibrations from the ground, if the conditions are right. They're herbivorous, and while Ash isn't sure how that relates to the solving of Deino's puzzle, that still an interesting fact. Probably explains the lack of teeth, and the beak like mouth; perfect for snipping off berries, crushing them only a bit before swallowing them.

What else, Ash is sure there's more-

Wait. The Pokédex entry.

It said that Deino bumps and runs headlong into things due to its blindness, and only then it uses its senses to identify…

Oh.

 _Oh_.

He just needs to get up to Deino and introduce himself, somehow.

 _It was simple_ , it was what is done in _every other situations like this_ , and Ash was so blinded by the flashiness, the fancy Pokémon, overwhelmed by his own thoughts that all semblance of common sense fled him.

Ash smacks himself in the face, groaning.

"I think he solved it." Shade murmurs gleefully and Ash doesn't ever bother to glare at her.

Instead, he breathes deeply, forcing his fear away, away, _away_ until finally he's able to put one feet forward, before putting another in front of it, on and on, advancing on the now confused, scared Deino. With its quarry now moving towards it, Ash realizes that all this time the Deino was merely _posturing_ , intimidating him because _it was the one scared_.

Wow, common sense, good to have you back.

Ash drops low into a crouch, making himself as small as possible and in response the Deino hisses, drawing itself up in all its barely three feet glory. It shrieks at him sharply, probably a warning to stay away. Ash, scared but undeterred, holds a hand out, the back of his hand towards the small dragon.

"It's okay," Ash whispers, and the Deino tilts his head towards him, no doubt focusing on the sound of his voice. Ash swallows. "I won't hurt you, okay?"

But apparently, the Deino has no problems with hurting _him_ whatsoever.

Ash yells in pain when the Deino lashes out incredibly fast, biting down _hard_ on his forearm and Ash almost yanked his arm away when Shade called out in alarm. "Ash! Don't panic!" She calls out, and Ash feels just a little bit faint from the pain and the blood leaking from the bite, blooding the Deino's beak and the area around it.

"Easier said than done!" Ash bites back, really, _really_ trying not to yank his arm back, but thankfully, _somehow_ the Deino lets go of his arm, letting Ash stumble back as it licks its beak.

Hissing in pain, Ash pulls his wrist band up to his elbow, pulling it taut and twisting it to stem the blood flow. He raises his arm above heart-level, hyperaware of the Deino now oddly calm and quiet. Its nostrils keep flaring, head turned in his direction. Its keeping its distance, and Ash is glad.

While he does _want_ the Deino to be his… He doesn't want to be bitten either.

Shade is suddenly by his side – Ash didn't hear her move, what the heck – and she's grinning. "Recall him, that would do for now." She's saying, and Ash manages to pluck out the Dusk Ball from where he kept it, pointing it towards the Deino and recalling the little dragon. Ash hisses when Shade sprays something on the bite wound – a disinfectant, most probably – before getting a roll of bandages… somewhere and set to cleaning and dressing the wound. "Must say, I'm not sure whether to be amused at your stupidity or impressed by your bravery."

Ash gives her the stink eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Shade continues, grinning gleefully as she secures the wrapping and finishing it off, hiding the wound behind a few layers of dressing. "That you didn't have to _touch_ him right off the bat, just need to stick close and let your scent become much more familiar."

… Okay, so that _was_ pretty dumb of him.

Ash sighs, thumbing at the surface of the inactive Dusk Ball in his hands. "… So what now?"

Shade didn't even hesitate to reply with a casual, "I don't know, you tell me."

Ash squints at her as she pulls back, finished with patching up his wounded arm. "Aren't you supposed to be my _sponsor_?" He asks.

Sponsors are, simply put, people who back up a Trainer; whether it be financial, a mentor-mentee relationship, or the quickest way to jump through several hoops set out by the League. Sponsors more often than not provide their beneficiaries the means to start well in their endeavours, whatever they may be, or maybe connect them to the right people.

As Shade is a Trainer with a decade worth of experience, a stable job and apparently an impressive resume back in Unova (Ash asked what those are, but Shade said it was confidential. She even had the gall to wink), Shade is very much an eligible candidate as Ash's sponsor. Not only is she connected to a lot of people – international level of connected, to be exact – but from what Ash heard, Shade is also _rich_. And powerful.

Ash _really_ did luck out.

But when Shade just laughs in that obnoxious way of hers, Ash is reminded that Shade, while connected and rich and powerful, is just plain _demonic_.

"Hah! I'm your sponsor yes," Shade bends down, boldly flicking a gloved finger across Ash's forehead. Ash yelps in pain, because _what the heck that shouldn't hurt as much as it does_. "But I won't hold your hand. Not always, at least."

That made Ash pause, blinking. "That… that makes sense…" Ash trails off, looking down at the Dusk Ball in his hands, turning it over and over in his hold.

Shade snorts, and Ash looks up to see her shaking her head. "Well, since you've secured your Starter, I'm off."

Ash bolts up to his feet, brows furrowed in confusion and disappointment on his face. "What? Why?" Is he whining? Yes he is. Does he care? Not as much as he should.

Shade gives him a look. "I'm here in Sinnoh for business." She says. She takes a look at Ash, a long, piercing gaze that made Ash want to turn around and not look at her unsettling eyes. She then sighs once more, but this one is amused. She brings her left wrist up, showing a fancier Xtransceiver model than the one Ash has on his own left wrist. "Come on future Master, I'm giving you my number so if I'm not busy, you can give me a ring."

Ash hastily complies, thanking Shade as they swap contact numbers. Shade looks up at him, one corner of her mouth kicked up in a smirk. "Before I leave, I have a few things to say." She brings a finger up, "One, as soon as possible, register yourself in the Circuit via Pokémon Centres. I'm sure you know that particular drill. Two, wherever you go, whatever you do, your safety is important." Shade pauses, before lifting a third finger. "And last but not the least, have fun."

That was certainly strange. But before Ash could say anything else, Shade hops back, grinning wildly as she sings out farewells, obnoxiously blowing kisses in Volkner's direction – Ash realized that those two are not together, Shade is really just… like that – before leaving the Gym.

"Well," Volkner looks over at Ash, fishing the keys out and tossing them to Ash, who catches them with a startled look. "You can stay here for a while, just lock everything up when you leave."

"Wait, you're just gonna leave key's to your Gym with me?" Ash blurts, befuddled.

Volkner merely smirks at him, and Ash is wary at how… _Shade-like_ that smirk was. "I'm not worried."

And with that, Volkner takes his own leave, leaving Ash staring dumbly at the keys in his hands and wondering what to do.

 **SUPERNOVA**

That night, Ash is back in his mother's house, idly rolling the Dusk Ball across the surface of his desk as he stared blankly at the ceiling, practically just draped over his chair as he lets his mind wander.

It's been just a couple hours since he got back from the Gym, having used the morning and afternoon to bond with Deino. He's not sure whether it was a success or not; while Deino doesn't attempt to bite, chomp, charge him again – Ash had dumbly brought his hand close to the Deino _again_ to test that out – the Deino _does_ charge at the walls, hissing and screeching in offense when it doesn't break. Or fight back.

Ash figured he could first train the Deino in obedience, because a Deino, even a new born one, is _dangerous_. Ash can't use him – for he confirmed it to be male - to battle yet, not with his instincts telling to attacking everything and ask questions never. Not only would it be dangerous for the opponent, but it would just put Deino in the pound – with risk of being put down – and Ash would probably be clamped in chains.

So, no battling for Deino for now.

But if that's the case… Ash would have to stay in Sunyshore to train Deino in a safe and controlled environment. And that would set Ash back massively, which is maddening.

Unless…

Unless Ash finds _another_ Pokémon, to potentially help in keeping Deino in line, and to battle with while Deino isn't prepared.

Actually, now that he thinks about it, that seems to be the safest way, not to mention the _only_ way in minimizing the harm towards Ash himself and others because of Deino's temperament. Ash _needs_ to have Pokémon as soon as possible aside from Deino; that way, Ash can safely battle, and protect or restrain the Deino if needed be.

With that thought, Ash boots up his computer, hopping onto the online Pokédex and checking the Sinnoh-exclusive Pokédex. Ash takes out a notebook from a drawer, as well as a pen, and he scrolls through the massive and informative list, penning his choices on the notebook. He adds and removes choices frequently, determined to make his choices as few as possible, while making sure the team he's envisioning will be highly effective as a whole.

Some of his picks come easily, while some also made him want to pull his hair out. He's been made aware of hard it is to be a Trainer – he had Gary as a role model on that front – but he hadn't fully grasped the sheer difficulty of it. Until now, that is.

In assembling his team, Ash also kept in mind how they would fare against the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and the Champion _herself_. They have public profiles, with their teams listed as well, everyone with extensive reports and articles written about them. They're constantly updated as well, meaning there is something new to these elite Trainers, always fresh, keeping rookies and veterans alike on their toes.

Roark, the mandatory first Gym one will encounter on their Gym Circuits, is a specialist on Rock-type Pokémon. Most would expect him to play defensively, as that is where Rock-Types usually excel in, but no. Roark has put a spin on his team, making them more _offense_ oriented, although their defence is nothing to be scoffed at still. His real team's ace is a Rampardos; a massive Fossil Pokémon local to Sinnoh's lands, and in his rookie team's ace is the child of his Rampardos, a Cranidos that is apparently notorious for its near prodigious use of Ancient Power.

Gardenia, the Grass-Type specialist. Sinnoh, because of its naturally colder climate, doesn't have as much Grass-type to boast of. But apparently that didn't stop Gardenia, as her Grass-types are the _pinnacle_ of a perfect Grass Pokémon, rivalling the Champion's own Grass-type, really. Her real team's ace is a seemingly ancient Torterra, and her rookie team's ace is Tropius, a curious Grass-Flying Pokémon that is both fast and fond of smacking opponents around.

Maylene is next, the newest and youngest of the Sinnoh Gym Leaders. She's Crasher Wake's very own protégé, but Maylene had gotten her position through her own effort and hard work. She's a specialist of Fighting types, and Ash saw speculations on forums that Maylene herself can bend steel, if she so wishes. He's not sure about that, but who knows? Maybe it's actually true. At any rate, her real team's ace is a Toxicroak, and her rookie team's ace is a Medicham.

Next is Maylene's mentor, Crasher Wake. An expert on Water-types, Crasher Wake and his team brings to life a violent ocean, which is terrifying or awesome depending on one's perspective. Crasher Wake, despite his looks and personality and volume, is actually a wily, wily man; he has the respect and loyalty of several dangerous Water-types after all, like a Gyrados, a Tentacruel, and lastly he has a _Milotic_ to his name. Milotic is the ace of his real team, and Gyrados being his rookie team's ace.

With the opening four done, Fantina is considered the (relatively) weakest of the 'level 2' stage in the Gym Circuit. She's a Ghost specialist, with penchant for dazzling the opposition and taking them down while they're overwhelmed. Fantina is also a Contest enthusiast, and one can expect Fantina to battle as flamboyantly as she performs with her Pokémon, which can prove overwhelming. Her real team's ace is a Mismagius, and her rookie team's ace is a Drifblim.

Byron, surprisingly, is Roark's father. It's _extremely rare_ – although not impossible – for family members to be Gym Leaders, especially in the same League, so Ash wasn't expecting that. Byron, though, prefers Steel over everything else, and his teams hits _very_ hard, and can take a _lot_ of damage, making him a very formidable enemy. If one isn't quick to act, Byron can easily overwhelm you can crush you beneath his heel, as he's quite the ferocious battler. His real team's ace is a Fossil Pokémon identified as Bastiodon, which is apparently a living fortress. For the rookie team's ace is Bronzong, a Steel-Psychic Pokémon similar – but not as powerful – as Hoenn's Metagross.

Candice is the second youngest Gym Leader, a couple years older than Maylene, to be exact. Candice is a specialist of Ice-types, which makes sense considering she lives at Snowpoint – name says it all – City and had trained extensively in the near sub-zero cold that seems to be normal in the Snowpoint Mountains. As she came out fine after spending time is such unfavourable conditions, it's a testament to how _strong_ she ice, despite her age. Her real team's ace is a Glaceon – one of the famous Eevee's evolutions – and the rookie team ace is a Mamoswine.

"Heh." Ash huffs out in amusement as he comes across the last of the Gym Leader, one that he met personally. "Hello there, _Shining Star_."

Volkner, the Electric Genius. Sunyshore's pride and joy, her golden child. Volkner, as Ash knows well by now, is an Electric-type expert with the brains and skill to bring out his Pokémon's fullest potential. Volkner is also the mandatory last Gym Leader to be face, as Sunyshore is the gateway to the Pokémon League, and those who are not worthy will be stopped by Volkner. Volkner is sometimes described as a Porygon, especially if he's in the 'zone' with how fast he can calculate, anticipate and come up with counter, all in the span of a few minutes. His real team's ace is the Raichu Ash had seen with the man earlier – which is surprising; that Raichu was smaller than average – and for the rookie team's ace, it's a hulking beast of an Electivire.

Ash leans back with a sigh, popping his joints and rolling his neck to relieve tension as he takes a moment to get a break. He looks down at his notebook, reviewing the choices for his team.

A Budew that would evolve into a Roselia and lastly a Roserade, which is a Grass-Poison Pokémon. A male Ralts, so Ash would have access to having a Gallade once the Ralts is fully evolved, useful for being Psychic-Fighting. Either a Ponyta or Magby for a Fire-type, as both their final evolutions are strong Fire-types. Either a Wishcash or Quagsire as the Water-Ground Pokémon. A Gastly as a Ghost-type. And of course, Deino will be the Dark-Dragon.

Looking at his choices, Ash knows that most of his choices would be rather great on the offensive side of things, especially Gallade, Magby and Deino, but other definitely need more than raw power; Ash would have to freshen up on the tricks he knows, play smartly and not recklessly. If he wants to do that… Using Fantina's style would be the best bet. She may not be particularly or overwhelmingly strong, but she battles so inconveniently, few are prepared to face her. Apparently her moves in Pokémon Contests dazzle not only the judges, but opposition as well.

"This would make for an interesting battling," Ash muses, opening a new tab and pulling up videos of Fantina's public-accessible battles and Contest participations. Right off the bat, Ash can tell Fantina's preference. "She's certainly flashy." He murmurs with wide eyes, watching Fantina's infamous Mismagius light up the massive stadium with ghostly fire and dazzling lights.

Well, with that in mind, Ash really ought to plan out a travel itinerary; plot out his destinations, make note of where to go, what to do, list the locations of his prospective teammates…

As he lives in Sunyshore, Ash would have to prepare a hefty amount of money for sea fares, especially if he wants to go to the farthest places in Sinnoh, like Canalave, Snowpoint City, and if he can afford it, maybe even head over to the Iron Islands. To hasten his travel between city to city, Shade had given him a prepaid Travel Pass; to be handed over those in charge of transports to grant him access normally not gotten, as well as give him a discount depending on his badge count.

Ash had to smile at that last bit; travel fares – as he had looked up – would be quite expensive, and for him to save up, he _needs_ to battle Gym Leaders and gain their Badges in order to do so. Basically telling Ash to 'get good or run out of money'.

Well, he's going to get good. He _has_ to get good.

There's no other way for a future Pokémon Master, after all.

 **SUPERNOVA**

Ash stayed for three more days in order to plot out a route of travel, funnily enough doing this in Volkner's Gym. The man had taken a shining for Ash, that much he could see, and damn Ash if he isn't flattered. In fact, he wants to do _way_ better, what with a world-renowned Gym Leader watching over his progress.

Right now, Deino is back in his Dusk Ball – he's prone to running after anything that piques his curiosity still – and Ash's special travelling pouch/bag/pack is already strapped to his back, a couple of belts going over and under his shoulders for a much more secure fit. Ash has changed to a skin-tight thermal shirt, long sleeved of course, and another but looser shirt over it, giving him double protection. His pants are well insulated as well, the ends wrapped tight, and he has his brand-new travelling sneakers on. He's dressed to travel, because today…

Today is when Ash _finally_ gets to leave his mother's house, and into the unknown path of being a Pokémon Master.

But at the moment, Ash let's his mother fawn and cry over him, blubbering something about Ash finally taking a step in taking his dreams, about growing up and she'd miss him something terrible. How he should come home every now and then, or if he can't he should drop a call.

Ash endures his mother's attention for a good while, letting her have her way for the moment, but when Volkner – should Ash be surprised at this point? – drops by, mother and son part ways, turning to greet the Gym Leader.

Volkner smiles at Ash. "You ready for the road, Ash?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Ash confirms with a resolute nod. "You need me for something before I leave?"

"Mmm," Volkner, pulls a slip of paper from the pocket of his blue pants, handing it over to Ash who accepts it easily. "Not really. You might need _that_ before leaving though."

Ash, puzzled and just a little bit intrigued, opens the folded up piece of paper, holding it up close to his face. "Huh…?" Ash cocks his head to the side, blinking. "It just says 'look through the viewfinders, you just might see the ground and the water'…?"

Volkner's lips twitched, and Delia looks at the paper quizzically. Ash scowls, looking up at Volkner. "Shade put you up to this, didn't she?" Ash says.

Volkner just smiles, tilting his head to the side noncommittally. "She wanted to see you off personally, was even quite vocal about it, but she's called away for work suddenly. Can't even use her Xtransceiver." Volkner tells him instead, and Ash isn't quite sure whether to be flattered that Shade wants to waste her time on him, see him off, or glad that Shade isn't here. Sponsor or not, the woman is plain… eccentric. "So this is her way of saying goodbye."

"By handing me nonsense?" Ash asks, face screwed up. Volkner just laughed and nodded.

"That sounds very much like her," Volkner looks away for a moment, towards the city's exits, and sighs, sounding a little wistful before turning back to Ash, his smile a little softer now. "Well… I must be off now Ash. Good luck out there, have fun, be careful… And when your path comes back here, to Sunyshore…" Volkner's smile was a promise. "We'll just have to have a battle between us, don't we?"

"We do, bet on that." Ash takes a deep breath, before dipping into a bow, first to his mother, then to Volkner. If Shade was here, he'd bow to her too. He owes her, after all. "Well… I'll be going now."

And with that, Ash leaves Sunyshore, and towards the path to his dreams.

* * *

 **I only have one reason for the chapter being like this;**

 **College.**


End file.
